Zhu

Specialty: Chinese food
Location: 103 Tecoma bldg. 5th ave. corner 32nd street, Fort Bonifacio, Global City, Taguig
Service Charge: none
Rating: ★★★★

Zhu exudes a clear Chinese setting. Save for the screaming purplish pink chairs and the huge Mcdonald's logo just in front of the restaurant itself. Sometimes it pays to stay a few blocks away from the fast food chains lest you be mistaken for one.

The Menu
Zhu serves Chinese food similar to those found in Super Bowl of China and Big Buddha. In addition to the usual, it also serves food which aren't usually found in restaurant menus. Food which are, amazingly enough, what we would usually call "street food". Yep. The kind which are sold in side-street grills and unlicensed, non-taxable, pure money-making food carts. Lets have a look at what they have

• pig blood
• pig shoulders
• chicken gizzard with sesame oil (served with style)
• isaw
• pig intestine
• pig ears

Basically street food served on an expensive plate. They even have fish skin with vinegar as a free appetizer. But that's as local as it goes. The menu contains the usual Chinese food suspects as we can see in the chef's recommended order section.

Iced Tea
Price: php 45
Rating: ★★
The usual generic instant iced tea. Nothing revolutionary.

House Tea
Price: free
Rating: ★★★★
This is where things start getting interesting. Their tea is no usual tea. It looks like water but taste like flowers because thats just what they are. Flowers. Chrysanthemum tea. Definitely not as boring as it sounds.



Chicken Teriyaki Rice Topping
Price: php 160
Rating: ★★★★
Oddly enough, the chicken teriyaki rice topping is not rice topped with anything. When I asked why, they also didn't know. Apparently, they don't know what rice topping means (I was later informed that rice topping dishes served in China were also served liked this). Thats not to say that the food didn't taste well. It did. Meaty bits of chicken served with teriyaki sauce completes the sweet, protein side of the dish. The leafy vegetables, two slices of designer cut carrots and a combination of different mushrooms balances out the sweetness of the dish. A good combination indeed. The veggie side tastes much like traditional Chinese chopsuey with the secret sauce that i could never really figure out. All in all, a good balanced flavor for a balanced meal.


Beef Brisket and Wanton Noodle Soup
Price: php 140
Rating: ★★★★
The soup tasted like usual Chinese noodle soup and at served at just the right temperature. Except for the beef, there is no beef flavor on the soup itself. There are two big chunks of tender beef though. The beef is so soft that it's not really chopstick-friendly anymore. Grab a chunk and the beef strips just slide off. In any case, soft beef is always better than tough beef. The wanton is the usual wanton you find anywhere. Nothing special. As for the noodles, its thinner than the usual canton noodles you find at fast food joints.

Conclusion
Although it's definitely similar to most Chinese restaurants, they offer a lot of things that deviate from the usual. Aside from the screaming purplish pink seats to the street food menu, they also offer hot pot meals where you get to cook your own food and they give you raw food. No wonder they have no service charge. There is little to service if you avail of their hot pot meals. The hot pot meal is a good choice if you intend to converse a little while longer before you actually get to eat. Its a nice opportunity to tell or hear stories while you wait for the pot to simmer.